“I'm going home” sounds ordinary. Then somebody tells you the bill.
I heard about a family of four spending ¥580,000 on a home visit. It was unclear whether that covered transportation alone or other expenses too. The number was startling. But the harder question is what happens when another visit is just as expensive.
1. A ¥100,000 one-way trip becomes ¥400,000 a year
Imagine one person paying ¥100,000 in each direction. A return trip costs ¥200,000; two visits a year cost ¥400,000. Over five years that's ¥2 million, and over ten years ¥4 million, assuming prices stay unchanged. This is an illustration, not an average fare.
Suddenly “just visit your parents” sounds like “add a major item to your annual budget.” Your family reunion has somehow become a capital project.
2. Nearby destinations aren't always cheap
Airfare varies with dates, seat availability, booking time, passenger numbers, baggage and ticket conditions. JAL explicitly says its domestic fares can change with expected remaining seats and group size.[1] With four travelers, extra charges are multiplied. Schedule disruptions can create more transport and accommodation costs.
Taking a car to Hokkaido by ferry has a different cost structure: vehicle length, passengers, cabin choice, fuel and tolls to the port. The operator publishes vehicle-specific fare guidance.[2] A trip home now needs a logistics plan.
The ¥580,000 story is one example, not a normal market price. It illustrates how a trip can become a serious financial hurdle.
3. The hidden cost is time together that never happens
I also heard about people working abroad who haven't seen their parents in person for years. They work, chat and joke as usual. They can look resilient while still feeling terribly homesick.
Independent living and longing for family are not contradictory. Skip one journey, and the next chance may be six months or a year away. Then vacation schedules and family commitments push it further back.
The ticket has a price. An ordinary shared dinner that never happened cannot be bought later.
4. Even a video call can feel difficult to start
“Maybe my parents are busy.” Sometimes that thought is enough to stop someone calling. A 2026 study of families separated by migration described how regular calls help preserve connection, while late replies and video contact can also create anxiety and remind people of the distance.[3]
Our phones have more cameras every year. Somehow they still don't have a hug button.
5. Include family visits when comparing jobs
Salary and rent matter, but so do annual return trips, vacation days and time spent traveling. If an overseas job increases income by ¥400,000 while extra home visits also cost ¥400,000, that particular cash advantage disappears. Career opportunities and other benefits remain worth considering.
Compare realistic door-to-door return costs rather than the advertised cheapest one-way flight. If an unexpected phone call feels intrusive, start with “Are you free for ten minutes this week?”
Going home isn't a luxury vacation. For some people, it requires a luxury-vacation budget. The most painful cost may be the everyday family moments that never made it onto the calendar.
References (1)
[1] JAL domestic fares https://www.jal.co.jp/ja-jp/book-dom/fare.html [2] MOL Sunflower FAQ https://www.ferry-sunflower.co.jp/faq/ [3] Human Communication Research (2026) https://doi.org/10.1093/hcr/hqag003
